A family party ended in tragedy early Sunday when a man leaving the gathering in the Lower Valley drove his vehicle into a group of people, killing a 23-year-old woman.

The woman died at the scene and four others were injured, police said.

REPORTER

Aileen B. Flores

A relative identified the woman as Miriam Aguirre, mother of a 2-year-old boy.

Police arrested Miguel Tinoco, 19, who was driving a 2004 maroon Mitsubishi Eclipse that apparently plowed into the group.

Tinoco is accused of murder in the death of Aguirre and aggravated assault in the serious injury of Christian Escapite, 23; Javier Montes, 19; David Rodriguez, 23; and a 16-year-old boy.

Investigators arrested Tinoco about 7 p.m. Sunday, Sambrano said.

About 1 a.m., police responded to a call of an aggravated assault in progress along the 100 block of Rio Monte Street in the Lower Valley. Police found Aguirre dead at the scene and four other victims were taken to area hospitals, but are considered to be in stable condition, police spokesman Javier Sambrano said.

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The incident happened after a homeowner, who received complaints from several neighbors about a party he was having, told everyone to leave, police said.

"Once everyone was asked to leave, the (suspect) became upset," Sambrano said.

On Sunday afternoon, Aguirre's sister-in-law Marylinn Renteria described the incident. Renteria said she and her husband were arriving at the party when they saw a group of people on the side of the road and the driver of the Eclipse accelerating toward them.

A 23-year-old El Paso woman died and four other people were injured when a man leaving a party allegedly drove his vehicle into a group of people in the 100 block of Rio Monte, police report. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)

"When I got out of the truck, that's when I saw him do a U-turn. And starting from here, he just took off really, really, really fast," Renteria said, pointing to the area. "I actually pulled my husband out of the street.

"He was going so fast. I saw the first person that he hit, my sister-in-law, and the second person, my cousin's brother-in-law. My cousin got hit, too. He broke his ribs and has a swollen face."

"He left. He did not stop. I just saw my sister-in-law flip over," Renteria said.

Renteria said Tinoco was not close to her cousin, Escapite, who lives in the house where the party took place.

"They just know each other, they were not even friends," she said.

Police are treating the case as the 14th homicide in El Paso this year.

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